Improvement in car-couplings



.. L. De G00 D.

Car-Bowlings.

Patented l'an. 7,1873.

IUNITED STAIES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. DE GOOD, OF JEFFERSON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,648, dated J annary 7, 1873.

T0 all whom z't may concem:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. DE G001), of J etlerson, in the county of Greene and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Conplings; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in Which Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing end in section; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the invention.

This invention relates to an improvement in car-couplings; and consists of a draw-head, composed ot a baffer having a recess in its upper inside, provided with a lever and a spring having a downwardly-curved point, the whole being s0 arranged that the spring Will act as a guide for a coupling-pin, so as to introduce it into the draw-head, and also that the spring can be locked or released at pieus- 1ire by the lever; the object being to receive and hold, or release at will, the coupling-pin held in an acljoining draw-head.

In the drawing, the baffer A has the recess B in its upper inside curved or reamed out, to permit the. end of the conplingpin U to play snfficiently when the cars are tnrriing curves. The head or mouth of the baffer A is rounded from the inside to the outside edge to add to this effect. The spring D is secnrely fastened to the nnder side of the butfer A by a band, E, and a bolt, F. The band Eis used instead of an additional boit, which would weaken the spring I), the point of which is in the shape of an arrow-head, and curves clownwardly. A cross-piece, G, provided with journal-shaped ends, is secured to the nnder side of the spring D. Recesses'H H in the baffer A receive the ends ot the cross-piece G when the spring D is locked. A biturcated lever, I, each fork of which has a slot, J, and a shonlder, K, at its lower end, has its fulcrnm at L L. A handle, M, unites the forks of the lever I at the power end. A conpling-pin, G, declines from the center toward each end, at Which points the hooks N N are placed. The lever 1 is so constructed that when the handle M rests upon the baffer A the journal-shaped ends of the cross-piece Gr enter the slots J J in the lower ends of the forks of the lever I, and look the spring D.

When the handle M s so elevated as to cause the rounded portions R R of the lever 1 t0 force the cross-piece G, and conseqnently the spring D to which it is attached, to the greatest distance from the baffer A, the coupling-pin G can enter the draw-head and be withdrawn without coupling the cars. When the handle M is drawn forward until the journalshaped ends of the cross-piece G rest against the shonlders K K, the spring D can be forced down, but will resnme its place as soon as the force is withdrawn. The conplingpin 0 can be entered into the draw-head at this time, and will couple the cars; but they cannot be nncouplcd until the spring D is forced clown so as to permit the hook N t0 drop from the recess B.

A draw head constructed as herein described is attached to each end of every car. When the cars are moving up to be conpled, one end ofthe coupling-pin 0 being secured in one of the draw-heads, the point of'the free end strikes the curved point of the spring D, and is guidedinto the draw-head, wl1ere the bock N catches in the recess B and is retained by the spring D. The lever 1 is now thrown back until the journal shaped ends of the cross-pieoe G enter the slots J J, at wh ich time the spring D is locked.

Having thus described my improvement, what I claim as new and nsefnl, and desire to secnre by Letters Patent, is

The bui'er A provided With the recess B, in combination With the bifurcated lever I, the

forks of which are provided with the slots J J and shonlders K K, and the spring D providedwith the cnrved point and cross-piece G, arranged relatively one to the other, substantially as and for the pnrpose hereinbetore set forth.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregong improvement in carconplings, as above dscribed, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 23cl day of October, 1872.

JOSEPH L. DE GQOD. [L. 5.]

Witnesses F. W. MGVAY, W. MCEWIN. 

